


Useful

by days4daisy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s10e23 My Brother's Keeper, Implied Relationship, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Protective Hannah, Season/Series 10, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 21:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4495287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/days4daisy/pseuds/days4daisy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The vessel raises an interested brow. Beneath, the devil bares his fangs. “Is it safe for you here, love?” he croons. “No security detail?”</p><p>“Crowley-”</p><p>“King,” he corrects, with a tip of his glass. “And what shall I call you now? God?”</p><p>--<br/>Post 10x23 - "My Brother's Keeper."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Useful

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this Tumblr anon ask:
> 
> _Imagine Hanna's Pov of Cas as he grows "distracted" after the finale, unwittingly feeling involved in the drama between rowena and crowley and caring about Crowley's pain (which was expressed so frankly), despite himself. The temptation to stand with him against Rowena as Crowley stood with him against Raphael. Even more frightening: the temptation to get a second chance at loving Crowley, as he deserves. Hannah saying "you seem distracted" to an obviously pining!Cas and Cas looking embarrassed._
> 
> This doesn't really answer the ask, but it touches on some of those post-season 10 feelings. Also, protective sister Hannah ^_^

Hannah swears she will never take another human vessel. Twice, she breaks this oath. Both times are for Castiel.

On the second occasion, Hannah appears in a low-lit lounge. Her black heels click past humans polished in the latest fashions. Hannah is not here for frivolities. She ignores looks cast in her direction as she crosses to the bar. Her head sits high, hair a soft sway between her shoulders. Her top’s neckline plunges enough to fit the lounge’s expectation. Her toenails are painted river-blue. 

She regrets asking permission from this mortal again. But Hannah's visit will be brief.

The one she seeks wears all black. He sits at the bar, fingers around a tumbler of brandy. Even at a distance, Hannah feels the chill of damnation. His evil is a blood mist around his vessel. 

The demon's true visage is lava dried to ashen rock. The surface is cracked, red rivulets betraying old scars and sores. Broken limbs have healed improperly, gnarled knots of bone and flesh.

Years of torture sharpen the eyes that slant towards her. The vessel raises an interested brow. Beneath, the devil bares his fangs. “Is it safe for you here, love?” he croons. “No security detail?”

“Crowley-”

“King,” he corrects, with a tip of his glass. “And what shall I call you now? God?”

“Blasphemy,” Hannah hisses.

“Acting-God, then.” Crowley’s voice remains even. “Or do you prefer Head Bitch in Charge?”

Hannah’s eyes flash their warning. 

Crowley turns his back. “Manners, pet,” he chides. “Let a demon finish his drink before you get all smitey.” Hannah frowns. 

Hesitantly, she lowers herself onto the bar stool beside his. Crowley eyes her. This proximity is a dare for action. But the King of Hell does not accept. 

Instead, he points a finger at his glass. The bartender refills it, then turns towards her. “And you, miss?”

“A glass of your Cab Sav,” Hannah says.

Crowley waits until her order is delivered. Then, he snorts. “You angels and your red wine. It’s not the blood of Christ, you know.” He sniffs the air. “What is that, a 2013? Terrible.”

“We need to talk,” Hannah says. The demon’s penchant for words will not derail her.

Crowley smiles and lifts his glass in a mock toast. “Are you in the market for a deal, sweetheart? I didn’t take you for the type-”

“Where is the witch?”

Crowley’s amusement dries. He grumbles behind his glass. “Happy to say, I haven’t the slightest.”

“She is too powerful to roam free,” Hannah says.

Crowley shrugs. “Well then, do what you must.”

Hannah frowns. “She is your mother-”

“Who just tried to kill me,” Crowley mutters. He pauses for his drink. When he raises his mouth, it wears a bemused smile. “Fancy that, Heaven and Hell in agreement. Pity we neglected the party hats.”

Hannah sips her wine, but her eyes never leave the King of Hell. His dragon face scowls under the refined skin he wears. 

“The witch tried to kill you,” Hannah continues, “but you are alive. As is Castiel.”

Crowley chuckles without humor. “Thank you for acknowledging my resourcefulness.”

“As is Castiel,” Hannah repeats.

Crowley takes another drink, making her wait.

Hannah grows impatient. “Castiel does not know how he survived.”

Crowley smiles. “Why would he? Too busy playing my mother's bitch, that one.”

“But you do,” Hannah presses.

Crowley's smile widens. Hannah is immediately on edge. “Who are you most concerned with?” he asks. “Me, my mother, or Castiel?”

Hannah frowns down at her glass. “Castiel is my concern,” she replies. “Which makes you my concern as well.”

Crowley chuckles knowingly. “Still trying to make your stray come home?”

Hannah shakes her head. “If he were allowed in Heaven, he still would not come.” She sips her wine. It is true, this bottle is not aged enough for her taste. There is a sourness to its youth that she finds unpleasant. 

“I used to believe he stayed only for the Winchesters,” she adds, quieter. 

Crowley’s brows rise, but he does not comment. 

At his silence, Hannah presses harder. “Why did you save his life? And why did you spare him at that gas station? Castiel is no friend to Hell.”

“Castiel and I have a history of mutually beneficial business arrangements." Crowley clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "I’m sure that must pain you.”

“You did not save Castiel to heal Dean Winchester.” Hannah turns on her bar stool, facing him straight on. “I want to know what you’re after,” she says.

Crowley grins. “Has anyone ever told you you’re as thick as your brother?”

“I want to know what you’re doing with Castiel.”

“I, pet, am doing what I always do,” Crowley replies. He waves a bored hand. “Castiel is useful to me. When he outlives this usefulness, he will cease to be.”

Hannah’s anger flares, but the demon is on his feet before she can act. He tosses dollar bills on the counter without care.

“An extra round for your trouble,” Crowley says. “Enjoy the rest of you joy ride, sweetheart.” He walks out before she can respond.

***

Crowley isn’t surprised when he finds the bird waiting for him in the parking lot. 

He strolls past her without a word. As expected, she follows close, her heels tapping on the pavement.

He waits to pick up where they left off until they are a safe distance from the building, “Was your host already wearing this get up?” he asks. “Or did you doll her up for this encounter? If that’s the case, I’m flattered. Truly.”

“The last time you swayed my brother, thousands died in Heaven.”

Crowley snorts. “The last time I partnered with Castiel, he betrayed me, enslaved me, and downsized my kingdom.” He eyes her. “The blood of your kin is on Castiel’s hands. And yours, for worshiping him. Lambs to the slaughter, all of you.”

Hannah’s glare holds steady. “What will you do with your sway this time?”

“My sway?” Crowley rolls his eyes. “You people are unbearably daft, you know that? Castiel is alive because he might be useful to me. When that usefulness ends, we're done.”

Threatening God’s favorite does not sit well with the bird. Her blade appears in her right hand, gleaming silver under the streetlights. Crowley sighs. “Must we? I’m not in the mood.”

Hannah raises her weapon higher. Crowley grumbles but does the same. 

Their silent standoff stretches. It is Hannah who lowers her blade first. “For my brother’s sake,” she mutters. “Not yours.”

“I’m sure.” Crowley barely gets the words out before the angel disappears.

Well now, this has been interesting...

Crowley pulls his phone from his inside pocket and scrolls his contacts list. He taps a name and puts his ear to the receiver. It rings twice. Then, a familiar voice. “Hello?”

“Partner!” he greets. “Where are you? We need to chat.”

“How did you get this number?”

Crowley rolls his eyes. “I’m the King of Hell, you dummy. You think I can’t get the number off a beat up Motorola?”

“I have an iPhone now,” Castiel tells him.

Crowley sighs. “Your selective hearing never ceases to amaze. Text me your address?”

“Fine.”

Crowley mulls this, then adds. “X-rated selfies would also be welcome… Hello? Ah well.”

By the time Crowley disconnects the call, there is already an address waiting for him. 

He appears to a motel room. Castiel stands in its center. His hair is wet, a t-shirt and sweatpants pulled over a recently cleaned vessel. Crowley raises a brow. “You showered?”

Castiel stares back. “I wanted to,” he replies. Fair enough. 

Crowley gives the room a once-over. Bare bones. One bed. A bag with Castiel's few belongings half-open on a desk.

“Have you located the witch?” Castiel asks.

“My trackers are working round the clock,” Crowley assures him. “No word yet.”

Castiel frowns. “Are these your _best_ trackers?”

“My mother is resourceful,” Crowley snaps. His minions may be idiots, but they are _his_ to ridicule. “And what of this cloud your morons have unleashed on the world?”

“Death called it the Darkness,” Castiel says, “…before he died.”

“Unbelievable,” Crowley mutters. 

Castiel ignores his commentary. “In the beginning, there was light and dark,” he explains. “Light prevailed. The Darkness was not a force to be bound. It was a state of being made extinct by creation.”

“Or so you were told,” Crowley cuts in.

He expects Castiel to balk. Wayward angel or not, there are few who preach righteousness as obnoxiously as Castiel.

It is a surprise when Castiel relents without a fight. He sighs and sits on the bed. His hands fold between his knees. “God and his shiny red apples,” he mutters.

Crowley chuckles. “Quite,” he agrees, sitting beside the angel. “I'll have you know, I had every intention of getting myself good and knickered tonight. But I was interrupted by your old girlfriend. Pretty bird, a little stiff?”

Castiel frowns. “Hannah?”

“Ah yes, that’s the one.”

Castiel tilts his head. “I…don’t understand. Hannah was quite adamant that she would never take another vessel.”

“She has not been here then, I take it?”

“Physically, no,” Castiel replies. “But I have spoken with her.”

“Angel radio?”

“More like…Angel Skype?”

Crowley smirks. His little Cas is getting more savvy by the day. 

“What did she want?” Castiel asks.He squints, suspicious. “Did you hurt her?”

“For crying out loud.” Crowley rolls his eyes. “I didn’t touch the bird. But I want to know why you sent her after me.”

Castiel leans back, confused. “I didn’t.”

Crowley peers at Castiel through narrowed eyes. The searching look reveals no lie.

“Fine,” he relents. “You didn’t send her. But my night was ruined by bloody angels, all the same.”

Castiel’s mouth tightens. “I…have whiskey?” he offers.

“Purchased based on Squirrel’s frat house tastes?” Crowley snorts. “Spare me.” 

Castiel does not take the bait. He lowers his head, staring at his own hands clasped between his knees.

Crowley watches him. “Your sister believes we’ve partnered again.”

“I told her you helped to undo the witch’s spell,” Castiel says. “But I don’t remember how. Or why.”

Crowley shrugs. “I’d hate to give away trade secrets.”

“I tried to kill you.” The seriousness of Castiel’s tone surprises him.

“My mother tried to kill me,” Crowley corrects. “You had the misfortune of being the only idiot in range for her use.”

“I should have been stronger-”

“Rowena is resourceful,” Crowley mutters. Castiel’s self-pity annoys him. "She is my mother, after all. Not some dime-a-dozen broom rider.”

Castiel says nothing. His silence is stifling. “What?” Crowley barks.

“Why am I alive?” Castiel asks.

Crowley huffs and stands up. “You’re useless to me dead-”

“Why?” Castiel stands too. “You've said that I'm useful and I owe you. But I don't know what you want.”

Crowley shrugs. “Maybe I haven’t decided yet.”

“Crowley.” A strange tension strains Castiel’s voice.

Crowley chuckles. “Are you trying to discuss feelings with me, Castiel?” The dip of Castiel’s head tells him everything he needs to know. “You are terrible at it,” Crowley informs him. “And I don't have the patience.”

Castiel again says nothing. But he smiles this time, a bewildering, pained smile. 

Crowley moves into his line of sight. “What else did you tell that pretty thing about us?” he asks.

“Nothing.”

“Your sister said she used to think you chose this world over Heaven for the Winchesters. She implied that something has changed.”

“I cannot return to Heaven,” Castiel states.

“Yes, but if you could.”

Castiel purses his lips. “I don’t belong there,” he says.

Crowley rolls his eyes. It’s like pulling teeth with this one. “Because of Sam and Dean?”

“Yes, and.”

Crowley waits. When it becomes clear there will be no end to the sentence, he groans. “And _what_?”

Castiel moves in front of him. It is a confrontational stance. But instinct bids Crowley to leave his blade stowed away. Castiel's gaze does not hint at an attack. But it is an odd look, one that pierces past skin to Crowley's true self. The mighty, broken king, a walled fortress of scabs and stone. 

“It isn’t polite to undress a demon without consent,” Crowley mutters.

Castiel tilts his head. “Do I not have your consent?”

Crowley sighs. The familiarity between them is exhausting.

He does not respond to Castiel’s question, but he asks one of his own. “Did you tell the bird you stay here for me?”

“No,” Castiel replies. “I stay for the Winchesters. I am their guardian, and they are mine.”

In another mood, this love-fest for the denim-clad nightmares would disgust Crowley to a quick exit. But tonight, he lingers, head cocked and curious. “Then what am I, Castiel?”

Castiel’s mouth betrays the hint of a smile. “Useful,” he says.

Crowley breaks into a rare, delighted laugh. “Very good,” he praises. And he means it. 

*The End*

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on [Tumblr](http://daisy4days.tumblr.com) :)


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